


Animus (Heart)

by kahlen369



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Animal Transformation, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Domestic Fluff, Ensemble Cast, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Lore - Freeform, Minor Character(s), Swan-Mills Family Fluff (Once Upon a Time), Swan-Mills-Charming Family (Once Upon a Time), Unless it's more fun not to be, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 09:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24468556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kahlen369/pseuds/kahlen369
Summary: In this world, everyone has an animus form, or an animal form that essentially represents their innermost selves. Needless to say, there are plenty of stories and stereotypes about just what each animal is supposed to represent. Some of it might even be true.In this world, as in most, Emma Swan and Regina Mills are a study in opposites: the Saviour and the Evil Queen, light and dark, a golden retriever and a black cat.But what was it they said? Opposites attract, after all.-A collection of non-chronological stories set in this unique world
Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills & Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Wicked Witch of the West | Zelena, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Henry Mills & Emma Swan, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, past OQ and CS
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. Anima Info Sheet

**Author's Note:**

> I had way, _way_ too much fun coming up with the right animus for basically every single character on this show, and then some. I spent far too much time googling all this, lol. So, please have the fruit of my spoils filled with pictures and notes and things <333
> 
> I've got more actual story written up and ready-ish to post, but please feel free to write requests for anything you'd like to see in this verse! It's pretty open-ended, after all :) 
> 
> This AU is more or less canon compliant, unless otherwise stated :P
> 
> P.S.: I'll probably be periodically updating/editing this list as I go along to add more info/notes/characters as I go

Worldbuilding Notes:

Everyone is a shapeshifter with an animal form, called their Animus/Anima (latin for heart), which represents their personalities/souls. Stereotyping abounds, with some forms being “better” than others, some being “evil” or “good”, etc. 

Generally, people retain full control of their faculties and memories even in animal form, though they generally also feel some of the animal’s natural instincts. The more time they spend in their animal form, the more the instincts take over, but they will never lose their humanity completely, this is also because they will naturally shift back after an extended period of time in one form. 

They _must_ shift forms at least once every few days. Staying constantly in human form is also very unhealthy and unnatural. They can also speak either human or the specific animal language. Because of this, people are generally quite partial to their animus animal. To eat or hurt one’s animus animal is considered sacrilegious. 

Clothes worn as a human disappear into a pocket dimension when they transform into their animus and return once they are human again.

Most typically begin shifting as toddlers, though start earlier, as babies. Their animus is the same biological sex as their human form. Magic users can still use magic in their animus form, but they are limited typically to simpler, more instinctive spells. Complex spellcasting takes more concentration, but is not impossible.

Most will change into a variety of forms as children before settling into their final fixed form, sometime around their teen years. It is very rare but sometimes, when one undergoes a very traumatic or personality/life changing event, their animal form may change as well. They are still able to access their old forms, but it is very painful to do so because the form is now unnatural and it is only old muscle memory that allows them to do it.

Animal forms often but not always run in the family, with children taking after a parent/relative. Aside from being able to choose to shift whenever they wish, people often instinctively shift into their Animus forms when they feel stressed or threatened and when they feel especially content and relaxed. 

Many people like to wear clothes, jewelry, accessories, and other similar objects and decorations. that remind them of their animal forms. Carrying around a little miniature model of their animus, in particular called a totem, is common practice. Children were traditionally given a totem once their animus form settled. Many have also tattooed their animus in some way. 

Before the modern age, as in people from EF, anima often took on the form of wild animals. Nowadays, most take the form of common domesticated animals. Faeries did not have anima in the EF but they do in storybrooke, thanks to the curse. All their anima take the form of birds though, likely as a sign of their actual identities.

* * *

  * Emma - Golden Retriever - When she becomes the Dark One/Dark Swan, her animus changes into a black swan. Once she is no longer the Dark One, her animus returns to being a golden retriever
  *   * Regina - Bombay Cat - brown eyes - Her form shifted once she became the Evil Queen. Before that, her animal form was a White European Rabbit, similar to her father. 
  *   * Henry - no fixed form yet - But he favors animals like his relatives a lot, cats, dogs and birds -
  * Snow - Bluebird - talks to birds even in her human form
  *   * David - German Shepherd
  *   * Zelena - Rough Green Snake - Before she turned green, her form was a hazel dormouse. She’d been all too happy to see her animus change, having been ashamed of her rat animus thanks to her adoptive father’s comments and the stereotypes about it
  *   * Daniel - brown Thoroughbred Horse -
  *   * Henry Sr. - Cashmere Lop (rabbit)
  *   * Cora - Black Mamba - Before taking out her heart, her form was a common mixed-breed Cat 
  *   * Gold - Golden King Cobra - Before he became the Dark One, his form was a yellow-bellied weasel. When he is no longer the Dark One, his animus form returns to being a weasel again
  *   * Belle - Australian Masked Owl
  *   * Neal - black-footed ferret -
  *   * King George - coyote
  *   * James - hyena
  *   * Ruth - common domestic sheep
  *   * Leopold - black bull - 
  *   * Eva - rose-crowned fruit dove - famed for her beautiful and colorful plumage
  *   * Ruby - red wolf - much larger than regular wolves, because she’s a werewolf
  *   * Granny - arctic wolf
  *   * Anita - light grey wolf
  *   * Graham - dark grey wolf
  *   * Dorothy - black Cairn Terrier
  *   * Pan - Golden jackal - all the lost boys have also changed to have jackals as their anima once they became under his control
  *   * Hook - True Parrot - his missing hand translates to a metal claw for his parrot form. He is just happy it isn’t his wing and he can still fly
  *   * Milah - northern crested caracara
  *   * Robin - Red Fox - 
  *   * Marian - European Badger - 
  *   * Roland - will settle into an american badger
  *   * Blue - Bald Eagle -
  *   * Tinkerbell - violet-green swallow
  *   * Astrid - house sparrow
  *   * Leroy - honey badger
  *   * Maleficent - dragon 
  * Lily - dragon - in the land without magic, her animus was a komodo dragon instead - now, she is able to transform into the two forms interchangeably
  *   * Cruella - dalmation - which makes her skinning them for fur extra creepy and taboo
  *   * Ursula - blue-ringed octopus - much, much larger than the regular kind, and possessing even more venom as a result
  *   * Jefferson - Common cuckoo bird
  *   * Grace - settles on running coua
  *   * Victor Whale - ussuri raccoon dog
  *   * Mulan - red-crowned crane - 
  *   * Aurora - red turtle dove
  *   * Philip - elk - 
  *   * Archie - green tree cricket - the spell Blue cast trapped him in his animus form - in storybrooke, he became able to freely switch forms again
  *   * Marco - american beaver 
  *   * August - yellow-bellied sapsucker, a kind of _wood_ pecker.
  *   * Michael Tillman - Bloodhound
  *   * Hansel/Nick - will settle on a beagle
  *   * Gretel/Ava - settles on a least weasel 
  *   * Violet - settles on a shetland pony
  *   * Ashley - valais blacknose sheep
  *   * Ingrid - arctic fox
  *   * Elsa - ermine
  *   * Anna - gentoo penguin
  *   * Kristoph - reindeer
  *   * Jacinda - white ragamuffin cat
  *   * Lucy - settles on an american shorthair cat with a calico pattern
  *   * Robyn/Margot - Golden hamster, similar to Zelena’s original animus of a hazel dormouse
  *   * Alice/Tilly -
  * Baby Neal - 
  * Hope - Settles into 
  * Kathryn - american goldfinch
  *   * Midas - yellow mongoose
  *   * Frederick -




	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma & Regina's first time seeing each other's anima

The first time Emma saw Regina’s animus form, it was at a distance, and she hadn’t suspected anything at first. 

After all, stray animals were not uncommon, and even though this wasn’t Boston, with alley cats around every corner, it wasn’t unusual to see a black cat roaming the streets. 

It wasn’t until she saw the cat again, in an entirely different location, and realized it was following her that she began to think something of it. The cat was being very stealthy about it too, but Emma wasn’t a bail bondsperson for nothing, and she could tell when she was being tailed. 

She was confused before she remembered what the Evil Queen, and thus, Regina’s animus form was.   


Since Emma had come to town, she had not once seen Regina in her animus form. According to Henry, it had been quite a while since he’d seen it too. No doubt it was because in Henry’s storybook, the Evil Queen had a black cat animus too, and she likely didn’t want him to associate her with the character even more.  Emma supposed that made a certain kind of sense, with the whole bad luck and witch stereotype, but honestly, a tiny black furball wasn't exactly intimidating. 

That was coming from someone with a golden retriever animus, so she could hardly talk, but hey, she was at least big enough to pose some kind of threat to people. Still, she supposed it also made a certain kind of sense that their anima would be natural enemies. 

In any case, the cat suddenly popping up everywhere made much more sense after that little revelation. Of course the overly controlling woman was also stalking her in her animus form. No doubt she was waiting for the right moment to shift back and catch her in some nefarious act so she could send her packing from town. Honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if the cat also tried to "accidentally" trip her or scratch her eyes out at some point too. 

Still, even angry and no doubt happy to hurt her, it was hard to deny that the little black cat just looked more adorable than evil, really. Emma wasn’t even a cat person--she was a literal dog person, obviously--and she thought that. Emma half-hoped she could just spend all her interactions with Regina in her animus form instead. It would be a lot easier on her blood pressure that way. 

Then again, she'd probably end up cooing or smiling at the cute little kitty, which was a hundred percent likely to end with her getting her eyes scratched out--an unhappy end she would also like to avoid.

Maybe it was for the best that Regina was keeping her distance when in cat form, after all.

-

The first time Regina saw Emma in her animus form, the blonde was showing off to  _ her _ son. 

Regina’s bombay cat animus may not have been the most powerful but it was still quite useful, especially for sneaking around undetected. Even Henry, who knew to be on the lookout for her in either form, could rarely spot her unless she wished it. 

Following Henry around inevitably led to following Miss Swan around. 

Henry had asked to see her animus form, pleading with puppy dog eyes that had his birth mother caving pretty quickly. Though Regina could understand the instinct to cave to that face, she hated Emma for doing the same because she had no right to do it. She was  _ not _ his mother, blood be damned. 

The golden retriever she transformed into was about as large as Henry himself, and he eagerly threw himself into a hug, which Emma returned as well as she could in her dog form, laughing all the while. 

Regina couldn’t even remember the last time Henry had hugged her so eagerly. No, that was a lie, she could remember all too well, and it had been far too long ago. When he was younger and smaller, her bombay cat form had been the perfect size for him to hug too. She could remember his chubby cheeks and his carefree laughter with shining clarity. As he’d grown bigger and older, he’d taken to carrying her around instead, stroking at her black fur and babbling at her. 

Loss hit her hard, that familiar empty pang in her heart that had been her companion for all these years since Daniel’s death. Her son was alive and well, but drifting ever farther away all the same. 

Drifting towards her downfall---this ridiculous blonde woman with her overgrown puppy animus. 

If she didn’t know any better, the scene before her could've been dubbed as "adorable".  Looking into those literal puppy dog eyes, it was all too easy to see where Henry got his from. Why did she look like she was always smiling? It was annoying, it really was. 

(A golden retriever was adorable as it was annoying just like Emma Swan in her human form, really, she would later—much later—admit to herself.)

Despite herself, Regina felt a twinge of emotion that was not entirely hate when she  looked into that silly doggy face. Honestly, it was hard to feel nothing but murderous rage when you were staring right into what seemed to be a constantly smiling and drooling face. 

Regina tried anyway, smothering all her other feelings in favor of the fierce anger that had first allowed her to conjure fireballs in the palm of her hands. It was impressively effective, and any bystanders in the area would've been treated to the sight of a black ball of fur looking ready to claw out the eyes of anyone that twitched wrong.  


**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: I’m currently unemployed, and doing art & writing commissions while I look for work. Please DM me on twitter/IG/tumblr @kahlen369 for any inquiries <3


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